The Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates are poised for another electrifying showdown tonight at 9 p.m. ET, continuing their weekend series. The spotlight will be on Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani and Pittsburgh’s rookie sensation Paul Skenes, marking only their second career meeting.
In their first encounter back in early June at PNC Park, the rookie got the upper hand initially, striking out the Japanese star. But Ohtani quickly demonstrated his prowess, hitting a 415-foot home run in their next face-off and later logging a hard single, the hardest-hit ball of the night at a blistering 107.6 mph exit velocity.
Currently, Ohtani is sidelined from pitching duties as he continues his recovery. However, his impact at the plate remains formidable. He is striving to make history as the first full-time designated hitter to win a Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. Ohtani’s offensive stats are eye-catching this season, going 9 for 18 against pitches clocking in at 98 mph or harder, with an average exit velocity of 99.8 mph on these pitches. An astounding 82% of his balls in play surpass the 95 mph exit velocity mark.
Paul Skenes, despite being at the outset of his career, is already turning heads with his performance. His average four-seam fastball velocity of 98.9 mph ranks him fourth in the majors. The only pitchers ahead of him are Mason Miller, Jhoan Duran, and Ryan Helsley. Skenes is ambitiously aiming to become the first player drafted to start the All-Star Game and is eyeing historic achievements akin to Fernando Valenzuela, the only player to have won both the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards in the same year.
The Dodgers, with a 2 1/2-game lead in the National League West and a 98.4% chance of making the playoffs, look set to continue their strong season. The Pirates, on the other hand, find themselves 4 1/2 games back from the final wild-card spot and are desperately battling to keep their postseason hopes afloat after enduring a five-game losing streak.
Tonight’s game will be the last regular-season clash between the Dodgers and Pirates this year unless they meet in the playoffs. Their next series is scheduled for April 25-27, 2025.
Reflecting on his previous encounters with Ohtani, Skenes remarked, "I like to call that big on big because I obviously beat him a couple of times earlier. I think that was the right pitch to throw there, he's just a pretty darn good player. Stuff like that is going to happen."
As both teams prepare to take the field, all eyes will undoubtedly be on the match-up between Ohtani's explosive batting and Skenes' high-velocity pitching. The Dodgers will look to solidify their dominant position, while the Pirates fight to stay in the race for the postseason. With such high stakes, tonight's game promises to deliver another chapter of thrilling baseball for fans on both sides.